Tom Richmond, a MAD Magazine artist has just published his book on the art of drawing caricatures. It contains a vast library of instructional information on the art of caricature that can easily be beneficial to wood carvers, of both caricature and realistic human faces and figures. Tom draws two dimensional art with pencil/pen on paper and what he presents in the book can be applied to carving in wood. Carving in wood is to draw with a knife three dimensional art. His book may be ordered off his blog site: http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/ for $29.95 which includes shipping.
Below are photographs of examples of pages that are published in the book that begins with a workable definition of what is a caricature and proceeds with each chapter covering the various elements in exaggerating realism into caricature of the various facial features. Using his “basic caricature theory” Tom covers head shapes and caricaturing of facial features. He then goes beyond the face to include drawing live caricatures and use of caricature in illustration. Of course, being an artist for MAD Magazine, Tom adds many anecdotal vignettes about MAD. Read the rest of this entry »
Once again my good friend “Idea Monster” Don Stephenson has drawn a very unique carving idea of a Civil War Soldier who is sitting on a keg of gun powder, smoking a pipe and is striking a match. This gives a whole new meaning to “Discharged.”
Caricature carving is to exaggerate realism both in the carving and in the scene that is being depicted of a match being struck on the top of a keg of gun powder. Read the rest of this entry »
Helvie Knives markets a ready to carve basswood handled knife for any carver who would like to carve a unique handle.
A carving friend wanted a Pirate knife handle carved for another friend and a Wizard knife handle carved for himself. Read the rest of this entry »
Michael Keller has just posted a very informative “woodcarvers’ public service announcement” about health and safety. Check it out at http://whiteeaglestudios.wordpress.com/ and while you are there look over his entire web log and then web site. He is a “carver’s carver” and a good friend who is an artist with wood and an artist with words.
TREE NOGGINS are whimsical faces carved into basswood tree limbs to create a rustic look. Carved using only a knife, these Tree Noggins have been a fun carving project over the years that when added up total over five hundred faces carved since 1985. Read the rest of this entry »
Jim Hecker is a carving friend from Minnesota who carves in a very unique style that comes from his Scandinavian roots. Recently he finished two carvings of his Grandpa Peterson. In his own words he talks about this unique carving style and the process he used during the carving process. Read the rest of this entry »
Don Stephenson, my artist/carver friend who I call “Idea Monster” has come up with another unique carving idea in the form of Green Man Trees. Using his drawings as a guide the two Whittle Green Man Trees in the middle photographs were carved out of an inch square and an inch and half tall block of basswood. First the square block was whittle-carved into a cone shape and then random and stair stepped leaves or boughs were carved using only a knife. A nose was carved with deep recesses for the eye sockets were carved along with a mouth opening. Leaf boughs shaped the eye brows, mustache and the cheeks of a face peeking through the leaves.
A littler dab of Sap Green artist oil paint was mixed with a little dabble of Howard Feed N Wax to form a coloring for the trees that is thin enough to allow for the wood to show through the coloring.
These Whittle Green Man Trees can be carved to any size and can be embellished with different shaped boughs and have snow carved on top of some of the boughs. The Idea Monster teaches us to use our imagination by taking the inspiration from a drawing and creating a unique carving of its own personality.
Thanks to Don Stephenson for his gifts of drawing and friendship which are an art in themselves.